Supreme Court Declines to Intervene in Vijay-Starrer Jana Nayagan Censor Certification Plea, Directs Producer to Madras High Court

Key Points:

The producers of the Tamil film Jana Nayagan, starring actor-politician Vijay, had filed a plea before the Supreme Court, which was declined on Thursday, January 15. They were seeking directions to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to grant a censor certificate for the film’s release. However, the top court directed the producers to approach the Madras High Court, which is already examining the issue.

The appeal has been listed before a Division Bench of the Madras High Court on January 20, 2026. Citing this, a Bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih refused to grant any interim relief. The Bench was “not inclined to interfere” and directed that the appeal be decided by the High Court on the scheduled date.

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KVN Productions LLP filed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) challenging the interim order of the Madras High Court Division Bench, which had stayed a single judge’s direction to the CBFC to immediately issue a U/A 16+ certificate for the film. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the producers, submitted that the film was scheduled for a nationwide release on January 9, 2026, across nearly 5,000 theatres. At that time, the producers were informed that the certificate would be granted after making certain cuts.

The Supreme Court criticised the “blistering pace” at which the matter had been brought before it despite a pending High Court hearing. It further observed that a stayed or quashed order does not provide a basis for seeking relief from the Supreme Court. Justice Datta declined to entertain the plea, saying, “This is a blistering pace, Mr Rohatgi. When the matter is fixed before the Division Bench on January 20, go back to the Division Bench.”

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The controversy dates back to an order passed by a single judge of the Madras High Court that allowed the producer’s petition and directed the CBFC to issue a U/A 16+ certificate after certain modifications. However, the Division Bench stayed the single judge’s order upon an urgent appeal by the CBFC later the same day, stating that the certification authority had not been given sufficient opportunity to present its case.

The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, stated that the CBFC had limited time to respond, given that the petition was filed on January 6, 2026, and the hearing was taken up on January 7, 2026. It further added that announcing a release date of January 9, 2026, without prior certification appeared to place undue pressure on the court in relation to the case.

Members of the examining committee reportedly recommended a U/A 16+ certificate, which was objected to by one member, leading to the delay in certification by the CBFC. The board also raised concerns regarding the use of emblems associated with the armed forces, which require expert examination.

The film Jana Nayagan has been drawing significant attention as it is Vijay’s last film before his full-time entry into politics through his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Directed by H. Vinoth and produced by KVN Productions, the film remains unreleased due to the pending certification clearance.

(SY)

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